Eye drops for dogs

[sheleyrae69]

Can I use restasis eye drops on my dog? The vet I use to have made his own eye drops for her and made her eye worse and I live in a small rural community and he's the only vet in the area so don't really want to trust him again.

[good_dog]

The compound is 1% cyclosporine with corn oil. I get from my vet it's $39.00 for 10 ml. 1 drop in each eye every 12 hours (twice a day). It also comes in a 2% strength. It's not called optimmune, it's a compounded medicine from a company called Wedgewood. My vet said they have used this drug for animals for years, and just recently made "restasis" for humans. Restasis is way more expensive and not the proper strength for dogs. My vet advised against it. Dog will need to be on medicine for rest of its life, it's a degenerative disease.

[Margot49]

Jerry and Ghilly.  Good to know.  Never heard of it.

[Ghilly]

Opt immune is a WONDERFUL medication!  I have seen dogs with extremely heavy pigmentation in their eyes who were almost blind from dry eye return to having eyes that were almost normal again after using Optimmune.  It's practically a miracle drug.

Ghilly

[Jerry_NJ]

We have used prescription Optimmune for dry eyes in our 9 yo Westie - it works and there have been no other side-effects/symptoms that I have detected.  The stuff is rather expensive, a very small tube is something like $35 - good news is I use only 1/4" of the bead that comes out of the tube (ointment) in each eye.  So one tube last about 3 months, maybe a week or two more.  

Our vet said non-treatment could result in the dog going blind.  He is already deaf, blind too would be too much.  We get along fine with the deafness, but just can count on him responding to a call or verbal command.

[Ghilly]

Dry eye in dogs is treated with a drug called cyclosporine, which can only be obtained with a prescription from your vet.  Please take her back to her former vet or find a new vet to prescribe this medicine for her.  Her vision is in jeopardy without it.

Ghilly

[sheleyrae69]

Thank you and I wasn't adding it wrong he had to much of something in the drops and I actually never even thought to call my 1st vet who my dogs loved to death.

[tree1126]

Tony has the best suggestion... To call your former vet.
My dog has dry eye (tear ducts no longer function due to cherry eye left untreated) and i was told that restasis doesnt not contain enough of the active ingredient, so further damage is likely if used.
For my dog we use either optimmune or a drop made by wedgewood lharmacy (prescription needed) called tacrilimus (in corn oil). Both work for us.
Anyway,  call your former vet and explain the situation.

[tonyb286]

Hi. This sounds like a condition called 'dry-eye', which is very common in some breeds and affects about 5% of all dogs. You can read up on the condition here: http://www.dog-dry-eye.com/ and find out if you recognize the symptoms, as well as gaining an insight into treatment. It sounds as if the eye drops the vet made up were too strong or contain an ingredient that wasn't suitable - or you are applying them incorrectly. In any event, it is essential for dry-eye to be treated, as otherwise it will lead to destruction of the tear ducts and more permanent issues will follow. If you cannot find another vet that you can trust, it may be worth telephoning your first vet and asking if they would be good enough to mail you a prescription eye treatment so you can continue with something that you know was helping. Tony

[sheleyrae69]

She had a rolled up eye lid that her previous owner did not have fix and my 1st vet i had in a different town fixed it but then I moved and when I took her in to the vet here to be spaded he told me had do more surgery on her eye lid too and gave me his own version of eye drops that he makes and it caused her more problems alot of discharge and dry eye.

[Margot49]

I hesitate using anything in my dog!'s  eyes other than Saline.  When I have, it has been prescription meds from my Vet.  Obviously, you are not happy and I can understand why.  No other Vets within travel distance and what condition are you treating for?  You want to make sure you have a correct diagnosis and are using the right meds
Maybe someone else can suggest something but you have to remember the majority of us are not medical professionals so weigh any advice given.